Description:
The Swing is a 9 ply wood laminate wakeskate that features down-turned rails for tighter edging, a concave, contoured top for better board control and easy initiation on flip and varial tricks, and a progressive 3 stage rocker for lift.

As I was checking out the new gear at Ski Dock, Aaron was kind enough to let me demo the new Kampus 9-ply swing series wakeskate. I figured this would be an excellent opportunity to do a review for the web site as well. I have wanted to check out this skate for some time, being that it looks like nothing else on the market. I wanted to see if this was this new look was a gimmick or if it really worked.
First Appearance:
As I noted before the tips are rounded instead of being gradually smaller squared off like the Cassette, Liquid Force, and CWB wakeskates. The other thing that caught my attention was how think it was. I mentioned it is a 9-ply board. It looks thick and feels thick. Aaron mentioned that they also have a 7-ply as well. I thought it was heavy at first too, but later when I held my flat 43Ē Cassette, it wasnít any noticeable difference. The graphics on the bottom are strange. Itís a lot of different shades of blue and black with a small portion of a swing in view and KAMPUS on the bottom. Whatever material they use to seal the board with is slick! Itís a lot shinier than the other skates I have used and seen.
The Ride:
Being from a skating background I thought the 3 stage rocker and concave would be great for tech tricks. I usually ride my wakeskates finless; I like it to be very loose and prefer to use my edges when carving into the wake as opposed to relying on the fins for traction. The Kampus skate came with the smallest fins I have ever seen. They look to be short based 1Ē or ĺĒ. While most people thought the fins were too small, but I loved them. They provided just enough tracking for me, while still being loose enough to break free with ease. The board rides like nothing I have ever been on. The rocker and concave make Shuv-its relatively easy. Lip slide to Shuv-its were very easy and seemed to be more natural. The sides are contoured up like a skate board so the rails donít catch like a normal skate would. I actually over rotated the board the first couple times because of this. The only thing I felt was not to my liking was the wake to wake aspect of it. Itís defiantly harder to get on edge when carving in because the rails are turned up. If you are more of a technical rider and prefer trying kick flips, shuv-it body varials, and ollie based tricks. Another feature different from the average wakeskate is the V- transfer bottom. I could tell it was there compared to a flat skate and it did take a little getting used to. Conclusion:
The Kampus Swing series is a lot of fun if you are an avid wakeskater. It rides a lot different from a traditional skate. I wouldnít suggest it for beginners or people that are more in to wake to wake based tricks. The beginners on the boat found it hard to get used to and didnít care for it. While the advanced riders found it a lot of fun and liked the concave and speed of the skate. Iím not sure what my next skate purchase will be, but I will definitely consider the Kampus Skate. If you are interested in checking it out or any skate in the Kampus line go talk to Aaron at the Ski Dock, they have them all available to demo. Thanks again Aaron!